Page 26 of No Promises, No Lies

Koen is lounging on the sectional. He sits up, a look of confusion on his face as I walk Rory right past him toward the bedrooms.

The loft is ours. The four O’Rourke siblings: Koen, Liam, Reagan and me.

And until I get what I need out of her, Rory will stay here.

Where I can keep an eye on her.Where she’ll be safe.

Safefrom everyone butme.

16

THE LOFT

RORY

The loft is a surprise.

I expected another grimy basement or warehouse, but the space Aidan drags me through is, well, gorgeous. Open concept, with lots of natural light streaming in from the glass ceilings above. It’s huge. They must have the entire floor. The charcoal paint and industrial feel should make it feel cold and dark, but with all the windows and reclaimed wood, there’s an unexpected element of warmth.

It’s the type of apartment I would kill to live in. Too bad it’s my new gilded prison.

We enter the main living area and I balk at the sight of another man lounging on the dark leather sectional, scrolling on his phone. He sits up at the sight of us. Confusion turns to rage in a split second. I freeze under his fiery glare.

But Aidan’s having none of it. He pushes me forward again, a little rougher than is necessary. He doesn’t say a word to the man as we pass, but it feels as though they’re communicating in silence.

After a hard stare, the man on the couch shakes his head in disapproval before going back to scrolling on his phone. His shoulders tense.

Aidan directs me down a long hallway. We follow it all the way to the end until Aidan propels me forward into a bedroom.

A bedroom.

He stops us in the middle of the room, pulling a key out of his pocket and removes the handcuffs.

The skin on my wrist is red and raw from first the ropes and then the sliding metal of the cuffs. I hold super still while he works, trying to avoid any more friction against the already damaged skin.

Aidan notices, running his thumb gingerly along the raw edges before he drops my hands. I stiffen at the gesture, confused by the gentleness of his touch.

“What are you going to do with me?” My words come out far stronger than I feel.

“I don’t know yet.” He shrugs while his eyes scan the room.

I stare at him incredulously. “You don’tknowyet?”

“No.”

I don’t know if that’s good news or bad news. “And you’re going to figure this out when?” I know this isn’t how I should talk to a made man. Should be more careful not to agitate the man who currently holds my life in his hands, but still I hold my ground. Not sorry.

Aidan’s eyes harden, and he takes a step closer, but I stay rooted in place. “Careful,” he warns. His sea glass eyes are sharp enough to cut me.

Aside from revealing my true identity, I doubt there is much more I can do that will make this situation better or worse. My fate is my fate at this point. Not willing to back down, I close what little gap still exists between us, raising my chin and straightening my spine. “If you could figure out whether I’m to live or die by lunch, that would be fantastic.”

I move to storm past him further into the room, but he blocks my pass, instead, stepping closer and forcing me to yield a step backward.

“You better think long and hard onwhyI should keep you alive,ice princess. Yousayyou know nothing about the Bratva, but you and I both know that’s not true.” His eyes narrow.“I have little need for a Russian stripper, unless you want to make things a little moreinteresting?” He takes a long and pointed look down my body until his eyes finally return to my face.

Feeling the blood rush from my face, I lock my glare on him, clamping my mouth shut instead of snapping back

Satisfied, he turns, heading for the hall, but not before calling back over his shoulder, “Get some sleep, Angel. You’re going to need it.” And then he’s gone. The lock clicked into place, trapping me inside.

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